DUNGEON ♛ GISELA TOWERS

[boardmaster]

GISELA TOWERS
20 MAY (VALLARIA) 2016

High in the skies, the howling winds tangled around the Gisela Towers make it difficult to hear anything. The monolithic structures believed to exist only in legend or harpy memories loom over you. The thick ropes of ivy crawling up the length of each tower is the only sign of life. Every now and then, shadow seems to pass overhead. It might just be a trick of the light.

Instead of the usual suspects, another familiar face comes forward to greet our Heroes: the devil-may-care Lei, captain and commander supreme of the Airy.

Lei Nervous that your commanders ain’t here? Don’t worry, you’re in good hands. So! Here we are at this… thing. Something something tragic romantic tale about a dragon and a phoenix. Anyway, it’s stupid and you don’t gotta know. Ask one of your commanders later or bribe me with a drink. Now for something more important— [ the winds roars loudly, muting lei’s voice. but heroes can watch his hand gestures and actions as he teaches them how to use the grappling hook: aim and shoot the gun. maybe twirl it with a fancy flourish first ] —did you get that? All right, good! I don’t have enough hooks, so you’re gonna have to share. And take good care of them, I want them back! Now get in there and clear it ASAP! I ain’t got all day to fly you all back home!

Basic info on the dungeon can be found here. Dungeon mechanics can be found here. All OOC questions about the event may be directed to the thread below.

ONE ♙
One does not simply walk into the Gisela Towers. The only way in is up the long and weathered staircase that wraps around the structure. However, the thing is riddled with missing steps, weak stones and slippery condensation from the cloud cover, so you’re going to need a little help. Should you attempt to climb the stairs, they will crumble beneath your feet at best and bury you beneath their rubble at worst.

This is where Lei’s newfangled(?) contraptions will come in handy! The pockmarks and small ledges created by weathering in the first tower’s structure could prove useful. There are, of course, a limited number of grappling hooks available, so you’ll have to partner up if you want your party to get anywhere. Parties of four are given two of these guns, while the poor souls with less party members get one.

Gisela’s gale-force winds will knock you around and make it seem like the towers are close to toppling over. However, as you make your way up you’ll see that the towers are actually far from abandoned.

MONSTER ♟ Ocypete
Weak against Lightning	Strong against Wind	Immune to None
Regarded as abominations of the avian world, ocypetes are BIRDS the size of horses, which would be incredibly advantageous if they had wings. The offspring of a human and a harpy, ocypetes have HUMAN ARMS that they use to scale surfaces and strong TALONS that can crush rock. They don’t fly, but they do RIDE THE WIND with the use of their long tail feathers, which possess magical wind properties and are nearly twice as long as they are tall. They would look almost elegant if they didn’t have a tendency to flap their arms while gliding. Legend has it that when the phoenix left the towers, the ocypetes were accidentally left behind because dragons plucked their wing feathers, making them look kind of funny. Now with a few millennia’s worth of abandonment issues on their semi-feathered shoulders, they’ll seek to prevent Heroes from ascending the towers by any means necessary with an odd variation of Airy MARTIAL ARTS. Their TAILFEATHERS may be acquired as loot.

What will Heroes encounter once they finally make it inside? More broken staircases, more monsters, even stronger winds blowing in from cracks in the walls and the foot of the tower (which is open to the air), and no floor whatsoever. Gisela’s Towers are hollow! The only footing to be found is on small ledges: some similar to those outside the tower, some that look more artificial; and intact sections of the stairs winding around the walls. You’ll need magic or some ingenuity to stay on your toes—literally! If you lose your grip or footing, it’s a several thousand foot drop back to Gresser. The quickest way down… and the deadliest.


TWO ♙
The treacherous and exhausting climb brings you to a more sturdy area that looks a little less like a wrecking ball just passed through and more like some kind of hive. Blocking your way are dozens of sturdy-looking nests suspended like particularly ugly balls of twine from the walls. These are home to the insectoid Aellos. Tearing the nests apart for loot is only a good idea if you want angry swarms after you.

MONSTER ♟ Aello
Weak against Fire, Lightning	Strong against None	Immune to Wind
Aellos resemble large eagles more than the DRAGONFLIES they’re supposed to be. Mature Aellos can fly, but the flightless and fuzzier larvae are just as formidable. They can HYPNOTIZE with their dozen kaleidoscope-like eyes, rendering targets IMMOBILE but still aware of their surroundings. In order to free them, a fellow Hero must gaze deeply into their eyes for at least 15 seconds. These monsters are also able to SPIT a gelatin-like substance that will stick Heroes to any and every surface and also each other. FIRE will reduce its stickiness. The larvae use hit-and-run tactics: they hunker down in their nests, peek over the edge and launch gobs of spit. The flying aello like to drop their SPIT BOMBS from above and occasionally also release a POWDER that ruins visibility and makes you sneeze. Feeling adventurous? Why don’t you give the spit a lick? It’s actually totally EDIBLE, tastes like jello, and is filled with mana. Just be sure to heat it up so you don’t get your mouth stuck shut. Their GELATIN SPIT and INSECT PARTS may be acquired as loot.

The staircases at this altitude are in better shape than the ones you have—or haven’t—been using. That doesn’t mean they’re any less dangerous. Not only do the Aellos chase you down here; traps are hidden in the steps as well. Some may act like quicksand, trapping an unwary Hero halfway into the stone. Others are enchanted with wind spells that can toss you up in the air, the long way back down to the ground, or blow your skirt upward. There might even be some that provoke the pesky bugs even more!

This floor has flowers and trees creeping their way in from the outside and covering every inch of the place, including treacherous weaknesses in the path. Behind these overgrown plants is a mural depicting a sensual dance between a dragon and a harpy. In order to advance, at least two Heroes will have to mimic the dance painted on the walls to open the door.


THREE ♙
A barrier prevents you from progressing any further. Magic, physical attacks or sheer willpower will do nothing. To dissolve it, you must create a concoction from the random ingredients available on the table and splash it on the barrier. There is no set recipe, so trial and error and a little creativity will be your friends! Along with your trusty party Bishop, of course. (You did bring one, didn’t you?) Those not well-versed in alchemy may end up with potions that explode upon completion, splashing party members standing too close with a variety of strange side effects ranging from mild body horror to a bad case of halitosis. The unfortunate effects seem to differ from Hero to Hero, and they last for a few minutes to a couple of hours.

Once your party crosses the barrier, you will find yourselves outside. The skies are darkening, but you’re still able to discern another tower wrapped in the clouds. A bridge once connected the two structures, but most of it is missing. Use those grappling hooks!

Upon entering the second tower, a marble floor at odds with everything from the last tower will greet you. Lift your head and you’ll find that the rest of the tower is also hollow all the way up; those heights allow room for fountains and waterfalls. It’s a suitable area to replenish mana and rest. Parched throats can be quenched with the sparkling water all around you, but approach any waterfalls and they will start moving in a very unwaterlike way.

MONSTER ♟ Celaeno
Weak against Lightning	Strong against Fire, Earth	Immune to Water
Possessed by pride and cursed by the phoenix’s wrath, these dragons are nothing like the ones you encountered before. Celaeno resemble huge snakes made of water and possess ENCHANTED SCALES that float through their bodies and render them extremely RESISTANT to both magical and physical attacks. You will have to find WEAK POINTS in their protective aura. Hopefully you have a Knight or Bishop on your team to find those weaknesses as soon as possible! Each dragon’s weak points differ. Fortunately, all Celaenos go down easily once you find that soft spot. They use their long, slender tails like WATER WHIPS to knock down or douse their targets; the force of a tail may equal that of a fire hose at full blast! The only time it sheds its armor is to shapeshift into a WATER PRISON that can trap one or more enemies. Try not to attack it while a Hero is trapped inside; it will hurt your friend as well! Use STATUS EFFECTS to confuse or distract them so the prison loses shape. Their ENCHANTED SCALES, SMALL GEMS, and DRAGON WATER may be acquired as loot.

Without any stairs in sight, the way up lies in those dragons. After their defeat, their magical scales can be put together to form a boat that can ride the waterfalls upwards to the top floors.


FOUR ♙
The skies continue to change once you reach the top. Black clouds begin to close in, stray bits of land that have broken off from the main island hover nearby, and a sudden torrent of powerful mana may disorient your party. A storm is approaching.

Just as the first chunk of hail falls from the sky, a mighty roar reverberates through the darkness. Something very large lands on the walls of the tower and causes a tremor that whittles chunks from the tower and actually rolls the clouds back; is that the toll of thunder, or just more roaring?

Finally, an impressive three-headed dragon emerges from below. Once it has perched itself on the tower, one head speaks in a rumbling growl.

BOSS ♟ Tianya the Thrice-Scorned
Weak against Lightning	Strong against None	Immune to Wind, Fire
“Did that phoenix send you?! Tell her she cannot return! Not even over my dead body!” Unsurprisingly, Tianya ─the dragon once wed to the phoenix─ is more than just a legend. He lowers his heads and another loud, guttural cry fills the skies. For now, he remains STATIONARY at the top of the tower. All three heads attempt to SWALLOW a Hero whole if they get too close. Should you go on the offensive, you may be able to chop off at least one head before he’s pissed off enough to move. The fallen head writhes in agony as it moans: “It hurts… it burns…” At this point, Tianya takes flight. The strong GUSTS from those wings can launch a Hero right off the tower. Use your grappling hook(s) to play floating island hopscotch: evade devastating dive attacks and run from the MANA BEAMS shot from his mouths. “You’ll never understand! I never wanted her!” As you travel from island to island trying to get close enough to deal some real damage, Tianya hides in the CLOUDS to launch ambush attacks. Eventually, a PHOENIX descends from the heavens in a burst of fiery light. However, it’s not the phoenix of legend; it’s actually one of Tianya’s spells, and it will burn away most of your mana if any of its flames make contact. MANA EXCHANGE may be the only way to continue this battle... Once Tianya is down to one head, he will immediately rise higher into the sky. “My last words are for her and her alone.” After Tianya is defeated, the storm clears; Enprise’s twin suns shine once more. That precious DUNGEON CORE floats down, blanketed by a SINGLE LARGE FEATHER, golden and shining in the light. “It’s warm… She was always warm…” A SCORNED DRAGON HEART and a MYSTICAL PHOENIX FEATHER may be acquired as loot.

As soon as both core and feather touch the tower, an ominous rumbling and shaking begins. The Gisela Towers are falling apart and it’s now a race to escape before you’re buried under the rubble.

And don’t forget the grappling hook(s); Lei wants them back.


FIVE ♙
All that’s left of the Gisela Towers is rubble. The dungeon has been conquered, the island reclaimed, and the ruins of the old regime can now become the foundations for something new: the site of the harpies’ homecoming after hundreds of years.

LOCATION ♟ Gisela

An ancient sky island that has existed since time immemorial. What enables Gisela to RIDE THE CLOUDS may be an even greater mystery than the mechanisms powering the Airy. The island appears most frequently above Gresser, though its extraordinary altitude makes it DIFFICULT TO LOCATE. The landscape of Gisela is overgrown with JEWEL-GREEN FORESTS, crisscrossed with gorges and dotted with networks of small caverns. But its crowning glory is the THIN GLEAMING WATERFALLS that flow from its edges and into the sky beyond. The water is embraced by RAINBOWS and condenses into CLOUDS when Gisela is high enough, lending to its unusual weather patterns. Although the island initially seems largely uninhabited apart from the Gisela Towers, there is a SEALED OFF AREA that, when viewed from the air, looks suspiciously like LUSH, TILLED FIELDS. Should you ask Lei about this, he will only give you an unusually stern warning against disturbing it. Looks like you’ve solved the mystery behind the pai tiles. Now that the menacing Towers have been demolished, a variety of animal life — usually airborne — will begin to appear on the island. Some of them you’ve never seen before! The fall of the Towers also uncovered the existence of HOT SPRINGS below; newspapers speculate wildly about the source, but most agree that it must have something to do with the renewed vows between phoenix and dragon. The few structures already in place on the island have been speedily converted into BAZAARS manned by Airy harpies. Most specialize in legal alchemical gimmicks, but there’s always another side to these things. Everyone’s here to soak in the breeze, and by that we do mean everyone. In response to the tourism boom, NEW AEROPORTS have also opened in both Gisela and Gresser to provide reliable transportation between the two locations.

Comments

[showsnopiety]

[It was certainly a crazy sort of tension, wasn't it. Her first dungeon, and she was not sure how many Sion had faced, how many Alice had. And yet...they seemed to be doing strangely well, if that was the first leg of the journey.

Caren allowed herself to be carried, as her usual, before settling onto her feet. She has to take a moment for herself to stretch her legs, even as she stared after him. Moving already. It might have been good for his legs, but what was going through his mind...

Nothing good, that's for certain.

She moves to follow him, and gives his arm a little shove. Pushing him back before he would, of all things, attempt the steps himself.]

Give me the grappling hook and attend to Aisha. She needs your spells. Your smile should be enough to ensure Alice will not go ahead of us.

[Her hand is out, her golden eyes calm.]

I'll test the first step, and come back. It may be they won't support your weight, and Alice is too valuable to risk.

[herplaceinthesun]

[The view from up here is amazing. Sitting on the ledge is ill-advised, but it's just for a moment. Physically she isn't that tired, it's something else she can't quite put her finger on. But Aisha isn't much for contemplating, so she picks herself up and goes to meet the group at the tower.

Speaking of...]

Okay, this is getting a little old.

[All this climbing, she can see why Alice is so grumpy about it. Once she gets to the inside, she stands with the others, it's not like they can all go up at once. At least she shouldn't have a problem getting up, this sort of thing is nothing for a Ctarl-Ctarl.

If there's enough room for her feet, she's got it.]

[digophelia]

Do not think of me as so soft-hearted a smile can undo me. Especially his.

[ Alice speaks evenly and flatly, having her back faced to Caren and Sion, feeling anger rise through her body. Slow and uneasy steps as she finally gets to get on the ledge. Alice is determined to press through this as to not show if any or little signs of exertion. She's been through worse, there had been times where she had been left to starve or been beaten badly to where she couldn't move at all.

A climb, battle, and dragons would mean nothing, she would tell herself. If there was more room inside, Alice would have easily left them, without so much as batting an eye. Teamwork wasn't her strong suit, but she was forced to wait along side them, her eyes turning to the rock that Sion refers to, noting it.

Too valuable to risk, Caren says. Alice's scoff echoes perfectly inside, gripping her sword and repeating the same process of burying her anger. For now, she begrudgingly stays near Aisha. ]

[sunderings]

Not because you are soft-hearted, Alice, but rather—

[ Because you are silk incased in steel, and would turn from the sight. But this, of course, he does not say, and it is for more reasons than one: from above, a lone Ocypete descends, riding the winds funneled into the hollow of the tower by the cracks and crevices in its structure. The Hero King and Caren both (Caren, who had given him a shove, pushing him back while nearing the foot of the ledge herself) make for favorable targets, though in the end, it is Caren who is within the creature's reach, and it is Caren who—

—is shielded by the brother she bears no blood relation to.

She is pulled close and dear to his chest, the grappling hook clattering to the ledge as his arm is cleaved by talons, flesh torn and ripped through as the Ocypete attacks only to circle back and away as though it were displeased, hoping to find a stronger gust of wind to carry it forward for its second aerial assault. ]

Caren— you are unscathed?

[ Asks the King who bleeds incandescent gold as he blinks down at her, assessing her condition before falling back and ushering both Aisha and Alice along with him. For now, it is best to defend their position, to hold here until the Ocypete returns for round two.

And so it does, with a fellow abomination in tow. ]

[showsnopiety]

[Aisha truly was refreshing. Caren would have enjoyed bantering a little, back and forth, if only to make Alice stew and grumble. The smallest woman in their number had been about ready to explode for some time now, and she needed to lash out. Sion would have done well as her object of fury. There's something in there that needs to be laced anyway.

And Aisha could have enjoyed it.

But even as Sion protests, there's a beat of sound, and that is enough for Caren to shove Sion further back. She is prepared to take the blow, even onto death and-

She finds herself drawn away and into his arms. There's gold on her jacket. It's his blood. (His blood matches her eyes). ]

I'm fine.

[Her voice is steady, hard, and she makes a sweeping gesture.]

Pain is a kindly, hopeful thing, a certain proof of life.

[The pain, at least, vanishes; the blood may lessen, as Caren silently bucks her body against his from the sudden pain from the slashes she felt on herself. And yet, that won't stop her from repeating the spell, over and over, until she was certain that the wounds were closed. Even if she had ignore the fighting.

She'd let Aisha and Alice do the fighting while she took care of the healer.]

[herplaceinthesun]

[The Ocypete's return is more annoying than anything else. Such a small threat wouldn't end them, and while Sion (and Caren, by virtue of the way she healed) were hurt, it wasn't anything so dire that she truly had to worry about their safety. It just pissed her off, is all.

Thank goodness it thought to bring a friend. Alice might want to have some more fun too.

Before the creatures get to their party, Aisha rushes to greet them properly. Now that she's not hanging from a cliff, she can actually do something here that isn't just hanging on. She picks the one on the left and says "hello" with a spinning high kick, knocking it against the wall of the tower.

While fighting, Aisha is all grace and no mercy.

Quickly, she grabs the creature's hands with one of her own, pins it against the wall with a wicked grin. It pulls against her hold, clawing at her uniform before she unleashes a flurry of punches and kicks. Eventually, the struggling stops, her personal punching bag worn out by her exercise.

Tossing it's body over her shoulder, she glances to see if Alice needs her help taking out this trash.]

[digophelia]

[ Green eyes narrowing into slits, Alice easily loses her composure upon seeing Sion wounded. Without hesitation or further arguing, her sword is withdrawn from it's sheathe, Alice losing her temper completely. She wouldn't need assistance of any kind, rather, maybe restraint, possibly. She is small in stature, but her strength is surprising. Her rage is icy, silent as she suddenly strides up, unaware of the mana drawn from her anger surging through the sword as she cleaves it down, effortlessly, without word, the edge of it streaking a bright blue much like her vorpal blade.

But she wouldn't stop there and would momentarily forget Aisha there beside her, easily flying into a fit of absolute rage, striking furiously at the Ocypete, determined to return the favor, the pain it dared inflicted on her party member. Even if it would fall or cease moving, that wouldn't mean Alice would stop; the objective for her was to utterly dismember an opponent that would upset her that much. And she would, cleaving her curved sword back and forth like a cleaver.]

[sunderings]

Do not waste mana, Caren. [ —he starts, glimpsing the sweeping gesture of her hand and recognizing it for what it is: the channeling of her energy into a healing spell which needn't be used upon him. And yet he is unable to stop it, just as she'd been unable to stop him from taking the injury which she'd been wholly prepared to accept, all pain gone from him as the magic slowly staunches the flow of blood which each repetition of incantation, gold wetting Caren's jacket, staining the white of her hair as her body convulses in his arms.

What are you doing, he murmurs only to her, eyes lifting to the fray before them in brief as he holds her close, steadying her as though he'd just swept her off of her feet; like he were carrying her back to their shared quarters in the Queen's Hall dormitories. It was my wish to carry it for you, chiding gently now, he supports the small of her back, wondering why, for all the world, she could not allow him to walk alongside her. In truth, it had taken his breath away and it had hurt, the rake of claws which had dug trenches well and deep into his skin, but... If there is one person Caren needn't sacrifice for, it is him, for he is no true person at all.

Still, he smiles, not one to belittle what she's done for him (taking his suffering and making it her own... he can allow for no such thing to happen again), a whisper of thanks upon his lips as he closes his eyes, trusting in Alice and Aisha both as he bows, touching his forehead to Caren's own.

Flesh reforms, the wounds marring his arm knitting seamlessly closed, and by the time he opens his eyes...

Aisha is a breath of fresh air in her effortless exercise of force, banishing the tension which had long since settled into muscle over the duration of their climb with sport: an Ocypete dismantled, the strength of her arms besting its own. And Alice—

—oh, Alice.

She is smattered in blood, her sword turned a cleaver, her back to him just as it had been on that night when he'd found her, freed her from that dreadful prison only to unleash her rage upon all those who had harmed her, stood in her way. There is no doubt in his mind that she'd been in need of an outlet, some manner of vessel in which to pour her anger before she cast it aside with her own two hands, shattering it, but this... ]

It is finished now, Alice. Everyone is safe.

[ ...if she should not stop, his gaze will shift, catching with Aisha's own, asking that she act where he cannot. ]

[showsnopiety]

I will. You're the healer. [She all but growls out the words as she murmurs the spell, over and over again. She can feel the gold on her hair, her jacket; she knows it will glitter and shine for hours on end. Not until she washes herself clean of it, all in all. It might be some hours yet.

But she still listens, and her eyes go hard, unyielding as she listens to his words, even as her lips keep moving, only finishing when she is certain that the pain is gone, the wound is closed. And yet-and yet he murmurs to her that he wished to carry the burden for her, questions her.

I am what I am. That is all she murmurs for him, her forehead touching on his own. Her hand goes to his face, once, even as he murmurs his thanks, before dropping her hand and sighs, feeling, for a moment, dizzy from all of the mana offered to his person. Enough, to make him well again.

Aisha looks like she's a warrior through and through and....Alice..oh. That is something.

Caren stands quietly back, watching Alice with a hyper awareness. A small smile on her lips. This is...truly fascinating.]

[herplaceinthesun]

[She isn't sure that Alice is concerned about safety at the moment.

It's not surprising, really. Someone that quiet had to be holding back something fierce, and if she was inclined to feel sorry for her enemies, the Ocypete would deserve her sympathy. It's a very messy death.

How much Alice cares is sort of obvious with the display, it's really cute when you think about it. It's why she's relatively unconcerned with the whole thing, sometimes you had to just let it out, even if it was your latent murderous tendencies. That being said, Sion seems a bit distressed by the hackfest.

Meeting Sion's eyes and nodding, she gets a glimpse of Caren's smile. So this was quality entertainment? Hey, you had to get your kicks from somewhere.]

That sword is beautiful. [Spoken to Alice, and her voice carries well enough, she's not getting any closer. That's how accidents happen.] I have a friend back home that uses one, but hers doesn't glow, it's actually made out of wood.

[So in comparison, Alice's wins. It does make her miss the assassin for a moment, but such was life.]

[digophelia]

[ It's not Sion's words that break Alice out of her fit of rage, rather, Aisha's comment about the sword's soft blue glow, how it radiates with her own mana. That's enough for her to stop, holding the blade, midway through sheathing it back in. Only then, she can really ever hear Sion and even then, she chooses to keep her back to him and the others.

A wooden sword? That sounded a bit odd to Alice, but then an object like that can be a blunt weapon. She draws a breath and sighs to herself, stepping over what is left of the creature. ]

It suffices. [ It isn't her weapon, however- ] I prefer knives.

[ Namely, the vorpal blade, but that's another discussion entirely. It's not the first time Alice is covered in blood, nor will it be the last. Only once does Alice glance over her shoulder to look at Sion.

She won't dare admit she lost her temper seeing him wounded. ]

Do we need to progress up further?